The democracy and governance component of the strategy narrows or reduces involvement in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Support for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, is maintained largely at existing levels. Congress will determine actual allocations this fall.

The United Nations Millennium Summit offers leaders from the Caucasus and Central Asia opportunities for important discussions on a variety of regional issues, including the projected Trans-Caspian pipeline, and peace prospects in Nagorno-Karabakh.

When Turkmenistan's President Saparmurad Niyazov approved the creation of a joint Council for the Supervision of Foreigners on June 15, he took a significant step toward completing his policy of total isolation from the outside world. All foreigners  welcome and unwelcome  must realize the seriousness of this policy.

When she left Tashkent at the end of her tour, Ferrero-Waldner knew it would not be possible to convene the conference this year. The presidents of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan said they prefer to handle the problem on a bilateral basis and rejected the multilateral approach proposed by the OSCE. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, however, favor the conference.

According to some estimates, the Caspian Sea region could produce up to 150 billion barrels of oil, as well as trillions of cubic meters of gas. Such numbers make the area the "most promising petroleum region for the next 20-30 years," according to Terry Koonce, the president and CEO of ExxonMobil Production Co.

Kuliev: The U.S. Congress has a serious interest in the human rights situation in Turkmenistan. They see it for what it is and cannot but pay attention to it. They are bothered that the president of Turkmenistan ignores the United States' appeals for the release of innocent people from jails.

Avdy Kuliev is a leader of the Turkmen political opposition in exile. He was independent Turkmenistan's first Minister of Foreign Affairs, serving until May 1992, when he resigned in protest of repressive policies. Since then, he has faced three fabricated criminal charges, including attempted overthrow of the state, which carries the death penalty, and moved to Moscow.